Doctor Perseus Reviews: "Inside Out" *NO SPOILERS* · 10:09pm Jun 22nd, 2015
In Pixar's newest film, everyone's mind is a world run by their five main emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. When 11-year-old Riley Anderson is forced to move from the midwest and all the way to San Francisco, she and her emotions are thrown out of whack. Through a series of events, Joy and Sadness end up cast out of Headquarters and lost in Long Term Memory. Now Joy and Sadness must work together in order to get back to Headquarters before Riley (now left with only Fear, Anger, and Disgust) makes a huge mistake...
It's hard to believe that it's already been two years since Pixar's last film. Not too long ago, I shared my thoughts on all of Pixar's films thus far as well as on their upcoming projects. Needless to say, I'm a huge Pixar fan and there's only one film of theirs that I'm not a particular fan of. So, of course, I was quick to make my way to the theater and see their newest film. I was really looking forward to this film. I loved the concept and was really interested in seeing how it would be executed. So, how did Pixar's new film turn out? I'm just gonna cut to the chase. I loved it.
Since the film just came out (and I recommend that all of you go and see it at some point), this is, as stated above, going to be a spoiler free review. I'll start off by saying that the animation is fantastic. Though, that's to be expected from Pixar. The animation we see involving Riley and the outside world is more realistic while the animation within Riley's mind with the emotions is a bit more cartoonish and flexible. These differences really help set the two "worlds" apart. The soundtrack is also excellent and just oozes that good, ol' Pixar charm.
All of the main characters are extremely likable and all of the voice actors give great performances in order to bring these characters to life. The emotions are a lot of fun and have lots of great and funny moments throughout the movie. Riley and her parents are also likable. It helps that they feel like a real family and Riley acts like an ordinary 11-year-old. However, the character that really ends up stealing the show is Sadness. She's at the center of a lot of great scenes and her interactions with Joy are a ton of fun. This helps as a good chunk of the film involves Joy and Sadness's journey through the various aspects of Riley's mind in order to get back to Headquarters. Another main character is Riley's old imaginary friend Bing Bong, who teams up with Joy and Sadness in order to help them get back to Headquarters. He's also incredibly likable and...well...the film does something with his character that you definitely won't see coming. I won't say what it is here but all I'll say that how you predict his story will play out is completely wrong. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see the movie.
The biggest source of entertainment for me in this film was seeing how the film portrayed the workings of the mind. It's because of this that I believe adults may end up enjoying this film more than kids. I mean, yeah, the film has a story that kids can enjoy and get hooked on and there are certainly some kid-centered jokes to be found. But how the film shows the various workings of the human mind and how it represents them is incredibly interesting. How happy memories become sad memories, how memories are forgotten, how short-term memories become long-term memories, how your dreams and nightmares work, what lies within your subconscious, how your personality develops, and even random little things like how songs get stuck in your head and how some people get their opinions and facts mixed up (looking at you, EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET!!!) are all depicted here and more. I wouldn't be surprised if some college professor in a psychology class decides to show this film to their students some day in the future.
Of course, as is the norm with Pixar, this film knows when to throw in the FEELS. There were definitely some moments that I'll admit made me choke up and one moment where I started to tear up. To counter-act that, the film also has some great comedic moments involving the characters. You'll also probably get a laugh at some of the film's depictions of the human mind.
The film is also preceded by a short film entitled Lava. Again, I won't spoil it for you here. All I'll say is that you will believe a volcano can fall in love. The beginning of the end credits also has a few segments which show you the emotions within other people's heads aside from Riley and her parents. Again, won't spoil what is shown but there are lots of laughs to be found in those segments.
Overall, I loved Inside Out. After five years of Pixar receiving mixed reactions from audiences (though, again, I say that Brave and Monsters University are worthy entries on Pixar's roster IMHO), it looks like Inside Out could be the return of Pixar quality we haven't seen since Toy Story 3. Great characters, great animation, great voice acting, some unexpected twists, and a thoroughly interesting depiction of the human mind. I give Inside Out a 10/10!
